Plaza District emerging as theatrical community

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer
Wed. July 4th, 2007

When Susan Hogan looked to revive Oklahoma City's NW 16th Plaza District a decade ago, she faced off against "entrepreneurs” selling drugs out of empty buildings, a batch of dilapidated buildings and a reputation tainted by the murder of a junk shop owner.

Newcomers like Brad Cavener and Kevin McGarr admit they probably wouldn't recognize that past when contrasted against the present day. The pair spent the past year preparing for this month's opening of the Plaza Java Cafe, 1739 NW 16.

"Just in the last year, the change we've seen is amazing,” Cavener said. "It's the new up and coming area for the city. It's going to be the next Paseo.”

Hogan, director of the Plaza District, smiles at that comparison. Inspired by the successful transformation of the nearby Paseo into an artists' community the past decade, Hogan has spent years trying to create a theatrical counterpart along NW 16. Key to that effort was a decision by Lyric Theater to buy the strip's landmark Plaza Theater, which is now undergoing a renovation into a wintertime performing arts venue. The theater already has administrative offices on NW 16, along with a children's performing arts venue in an old grocery store on the strip.

Cavener and McGarr say their $50,000 investment — not including "sweat equity” — was inspired by Lyric Theater's presence. They've also opened an adjoining men's clothing store, saying the area needs more retail.

Hogan credits much of the Plaza District's revival not just to Lyric Theater, but to Lou Kerr, who started early talks with the theater and steered Hogan to look at similar areas across the country. City officials, meanwhile, increased police patrols and spent $2.5 million on a streetscape that added new sidewalk plazas and vintage-style street lamps.

"This area was in really sad shape,” Hogan said. "Vacancies were about 70 percent. The only businesses around here were not very legitimate. We've spent years battling that and reclaiming the neighborhood.”

Hogan also realized the area had a rich mix of cultures that represented immigrants from Asia and South America. The district features a Guatemalan grocery and restaurant, a traditional Mexican restaurant and a dollar store owned by an immigrant from the West Indies who speaks six languages. It's a mix that has led to some amusing moments, such as when Vietnamese convenience store owners enrolled in a Salsa dancing class at Everything Goes Dance Studio, 1721 NW 16 (which opened in 2004).

"Where some communities at one time might have taken that as a negative, we've always seen that as positive,” Hogan said. "And from the very beginning, when we started hosting a festival 10 years ago, we've featured international performers.”

The district's transformation is picking up steam. With the addition of a 1950s-style neon sign, Photo Art Studios transformed an old laundry into a Plaza District landmark. Across the street from Lyric Theater, homebuilder Jeff Struble is completing renovations on a string of buildings that for years created a poor impression to visitors entering the district.

"We're just delighted when he came in and purchased 10,000 square feet from two different owners,” Hogan said. "They were great people, but property management and development was not their business. They had other businesses, they owned them for decades, and had done nothing with them. Jeff is getting them in great shape.”

Struble said his interest in the Plaza District started with a home renovation in nearby Gatewood neighborhood. He has invested $300,000 on building renovations, and is trying to recruit a mix of galleries and restaurants to the block.

Hogan has high praise for Struble, noting he has an employee taking care of landscaping and litter pickup while the district pursues creation of a business improvement assessment to step up the area's marketing, beautification and identification.

Struble said he caught the bug for the Plaza District while attending its annual Urban Pioneer Awards.

"I got excited hearing about everything Lyric Theater was doing,” Struble said. "I thought it was a good time to get in. And having this big area undeveloped looked bad for the area.”

Faced with painted over brick facades, Struble removed the brick, re-enforced the buildings, and reversed the brick siding so the unpainted side recreated an authentic original facade. He is hoping a restaurant will open in the corner building, which includes a courtyard that could be used for patio dining.

Hogan suspects that with Struble's renovations nearing completion, the district's current vacancy rate of 20 percent will continue to shrink. She sees empty lots being developed into housing, while commercial space is leased to a mix of restaurants and shops. She dreams of shops like Inner City Violin, now at NW 30 and Classen, making the move to NW 16.

"We'd like to see this become a full entertainment district, with a lot of options on where to eat, shop, and what to do,” Hogan said. "We want to be considered a companion piece to Paseo. Where they are identified with artists, we want to be identified with the performing arts, with complementary businesses, and with our diverse community, where you can find just about everything.”

I just love Oklahoma City, it IS truly the Renaissance City.

There's so much going on in the inner city. Just think, in five years??? BOY.

Paseo Arts District
Asia District
OCU University District
Uptown
Midtown
Plaza District
39th Street LGBT district
Capitol Complex
Oklahoma Health Center
West Downtown/Film Row
Nichols Hills
Automobile Alley
Flatiron/Triangle
Arts District
Bricktown
Adventure District
Meridian/Hospitality District
Lake Hefner
Lake Overholser/Bethany Town Center
Exchange District
Deep Duece
Riverside
Ford Center - NBA/WNBA
Capital Hill (hispanic downtown)
Stockyard City (so much potential as OKC's Western Tourist district)
NE 23rd Capitol (black downtown)
NW Business District
Downtown Big City (aka OKC Central Business District) .. ..

So much potential, and it's being realized!!!!!!

Amazing times for Oklahoma City!!!!! THE RENAISSANCE CITY.

I Love This Town!!! (stealing from Toby Keith,...)

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Oklahoma City, RENAISSANCE CITY!

More solid news...Take back one beaten down area at a time

Thanks are in order for Susan

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Dr. Spaceman: Now Jenna, medically speaking for your height your weight puts you what we call the "disgusting" range. Fortunately there are solutions. For example, crystal meth has been shown to be very effective. How important is tooth retention to you?

Inter-City Violin won't be moving. They've probably been in their current location for over 50 years.

I've been shopping there for about 15 or so.. bought my first fiddle from "the" Herbert Bagwell

I agree, I seriously doubt I see Inter-City violin leaving that building. Either location is fine with me, but you just don't expect an owner who has had the business in the same place for 50 odd years suddenly moving to a new location without a really, really good reason.

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Still corrupting young minds

well, I could see the 'need' to gentrify that location 30th and Classen into the Asia District theme. Inter-City might actually do much better in an entertainment district rather than an ethnic community. And besides, if he were to move - the Asia District could grow and solidify its theme/presence.

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Oklahoma City, RENAISSANCE CITY!

HOT ROD, you can add Trolley Track District and the Cottage District to your list. Also I'm not familliar with the "Exchange" district, unless you're referring to the Film Exchange, aka Film Row, but I saw you already listed Film Row.

Why would IC do better in an entertainment district? No.. I just don't see where you're coming up with this. It's a violin retail/rental shop which is a destination shop for violinists all over the metro. They have far and away the highest quality instruments in the city, probably the entire state. I'm not sure where they're acquiring violins, cellos, basses these days, but back when 'ol Herbert Bagwell was running the place, he had some unbelievable sources of instruments. I own two of those Bagwell-selected instruments and couldn't be happier.

His daughters and grandaughters run the place now and it's just as good as ever.

That said, the location has been built *perfectly* into a very functional shop. There's a full basement where they do instrument repair work, it's properly ventilated, etc. They have an office, two showrooms and of course that front desk. Moving into a retail space, it would be almost impossible to replicate the functionality and the history behind the current space.

Gentrification of a neighborhood generally involves *improving* that neighborhood. How you could improve on Inter-City Violin is completely beyond me.

Keep in mind -- people from all over the state use that shop. For an out-of-towner, finding a business just off of Classen (visible from the street) is a heck of a lot less scary than finding a business tucked away in one of OKC's hidden entertainment districts.

If y'all are really interested in the Asian district being strictly 'Asian,' then let's get rid of 7-11.. let's get rid of that eyesore of a former church which moonlights as the Goth club du jour. Let's get rid of the Red Cup. Let's get rid of Kamp's.

Inter-City is perfect where it is.

Just so you know, this church was actually torn down several months ago.

Don't forget the Philips 66. And the Subway. And my dentist at 36th and Classen.

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Still corrupting young minds

The rest of the argument still stands

I believe the church you are refering to is destroyed. It hasnt been a church since horse and carriage(lol-i dont know). But it did play host to cindy lauper and many known bands(in its better days) and madonna almost came, but her new song called material girl was so successful it made her cancel. Many couldnt bring themselves to sawing the cross off originally. They had to look long and hard for an athiest to do it.

Y'all are more ADD than I am.

Exchange district, along Exchange Avenue toward Stockyard city. There used to be lots of commerce there, including the Farmers Market and such.

This district has LOTS of potential which should begin to be realized after Core-to-Shore is implemented

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Oklahoma City, RENAISSANCE CITY!

Usually success breeds success in similar businesses. This was the case in Bricktown, for example, because the success of a few bars, dance clubs, and restaurants bred new bars, dance clubs, and restaurants - hence, an entertainment DISTRICT.

I understand this business is not necessarily an Entertainment business, but you can't tell me that it would not be successful in an entertainment environment that is developing in the Plaza district, where fine art and theatre along with classy shoppes are being established.

I think we should gentrify the Asia District. The subway, Taco Mayo, and others should go. Not out of force, but because there presence up or down Classen would be better for them and the asia district (also their leaving the 23rd to 35th stretch of Classen would be good for the growth of asia district business).

Again, this is positive gentrification - not exclusion that Im talking about. Sure they've been at their location but that neighbourhood is changing and should be allowed to grow while at the same time the Plaza District is probably more suitable for Inter-City even from just a volume or visibility prospective (ie Bricktown example).

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Oklahoma City, RENAISSANCE CITY!

Don't you just love it?

1) The Plaza District is not visible compared to the present location just off Classen -- see my argument regarding out of town patrons. If Inter-City were to move, many long-time customers would simply assume that they decided to close.

2) Expense -- it costs a heck of a lot of money to set up a violin shop as nice as Inter-City. If you won't take my word for it, Oklahoma Strings (where I bought one of my cases because they're the only Bobelock dealer in the state) is in a strip center off of Rockwell. It's a Mcviolin store compared to InterCity.

3) History -- I've been visiting that place since the 7th grade. I know the whole family up there and they know me. My wife, an orchestra director visits, and though I haven't been in probably 5 years, they still know me, all the violins I've purchased, etc. I have a lot of great memories from that place. The same is true for probably thousands of other people. You don't just take a 50 year old business and uproot it for the sake of making a "district" more complete.

The Asian District isn't really even all that Asian... they have a grocery store, a mini mall, a few restaurants, etc. The Asian aspects of that "District" probably comprise less than half of the total number of businesses down there.

Inter City does not need a Plaza District to help it out. Currently, violin instructors in Edmond, Norman, Oklahoma City, even some from well-outside the city (I've known regulars to come from as far away as Marlow) refer their students to Inter City. For that reason alone, they are better served by being easy to find than being a part of any "district." Inter City is bigger than having to rely on a location to bring in new business -- so long as their location does not hinder business (and I think a move to the Plaza would), then they're fine.

Because you know, there is no place for violins in the Asian District. ???

I don't see why every single place in the Asian District *has* to be Asian-influenced or related. If the majority is, then fine. But they don't even have that yet and you're wanting to start kicking out established businesses to make room for a market that isn't ready yet?

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Still corrupting young minds

This would be a great place for an improv and/or sketch comedy theatre.

I KNOW we have many talented performers in the city that could make up a great company.

Does anyone have any information about the Guatemalan restaurant at 16th & Indiana? Like the actual name of the place, for example? I can't seem to locate any information on it. Thanks.

all I know is tha everyone that goes there seems to love it.

I LOVE this place. Go for breakfast and order the #7...don't even think about ordering anything else.

If anybody is interested, I'm playing acoustic bass in the show "Plaid Tidings". It's a Christmas show with music arranged for 4 male vocals similar to the 50's doo-wop groups like the Four Aces or Four Freshmen. There's a plot and everything with very clean humor! No profanity or cursing.

The Lyric at the Plaza is wonderful for both performer and audience.

Prunepicker